Pearl Harbor & Sands Islands: Two Hero Tales

That fighting spirit ...

Lt. John Finn, c. 1941

Of all the Medal of Honor recipients from the attack on Pearl Harbor, John William Finn held a unique distinction. Until May of 2010, he was the oldest surviving Medal of Honor recipient. 

Finn also was quite a character. Born in California in 1909, Finn dropped out of high school at 17 in order to join the US Navy. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, Finn had been in the service for 15 years. 

At the time of the bombing, Finn and his wife were sound asleep. But when he heard the buzz of planes, he woke up. At first, he saw something fly by his window and then he heard the machine guns. At that point, Finn didn't wait to hear or see anything more but drove to a hangar, grabbed a machine gun, set up on a hill, and started shooting.

For two and a half hours, Finn shot at the invading planes with a .30 caliber machine gun. By the end of the attack, he had been hit "28 or 29" times. His body was torn from bullets and schrapnel. He was shot in the hand and shot in the foot. 

Finn, however, was not done fighting. He got bandaged up and then went back to see if there would be a second attack. He didn't get to a hospital until the afternoon of December 8. [Author's note: Mrs. Finn may well have been a motivating force for that particular visit.]

To read John Finn's full obituary from the New York Times, click here.

To read the citation for John Finn's Medal of Honor, click here.

Here is a US Navy video detailing the attack on Pearl Harbor. It includes actual film of the attack:

At Sand Island on Dec. 7, 1941 ...

First Lt. George Cannon, c. 1941

Out on Sand Island in the Midway Islands, a chain of tiny points of land and volcano tips in the Pacific that stretch into to the Hawaiian Islands, the United States Marine's had deployed Battery H of the Sixth Defense Battalion. As of September, 1941, Battery H on Sand Island, Midways had a new commander, First Lt. George Cannon.

George Cannon's sense of duty is clear from the barest outlines of his history. Born in Webster Groves, Missouri, Cannon joined the ROTC at the University of Michigan. In 1938, he made the rank of First Lieutenant in the US Army before resigning that post in order to join the Marines at the rank of Second Lieutenant in 1939.

By the time Cannon arrived on the Midway Islands in September, 1941, he had been promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps for barely a month. When Sand was bombed as an ancillary act to the main attack on Pearl Harbor, Cannon was wounded but refused to leave his post. What he did do, however, was to make sure his men were evacuated. For these actions, First Lieutenant George Cannon was awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously. In 1943, the USS Cannon (1943-1944) was named in his honor.

To learn more about Lt. George Cannon, go to this link at the Naval Historical Center.

A great resource from the US Navy with oral histories, photographs and even film from the Pearl Harbor attack can be found here.  

The US Navy's website at http://1.usa.gov/11GHCt is a great resource for additional information, including the names and the citation details for the medal recipients from Pearl Harbor. 

Remember to fly the flag at half-staff for Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, December 7. If you are not sure how or when to fly a flag at half-staff? Click here to find out. USFlagstore.com's facts come from the US Flag Code.

Let it fly!

If you have a hero's story to share, we encourage you to share the history.

 

To find find out how to fly the flag and other flag etiquette, see USFlagstore's  Flag Etiquette 101 and USFlagstore's How to Fly the Flag at Half-Staff.

Heroes of Pearl Harbor

NOTE: Be sure to fly the flag at half-staff on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day!
If you are not sure how or when to fly a flag at half-staff, click here to find out. Our facts come from the US Flag Code.  
 

Remembering Pearl Harbor

December 7, 1941 

Life Magazine, the Pearl Harbor issue 12.22.1941

This December 7 marks the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States' official involvement in World War II. In that single day, for that single event, there were heroes from every rank – from commanders and majors, to ensigns, machinists, firemen, gunners, and reservists. There also were the unnamed heroes whose names families can recall better than history books. 

Here, we wish to remember all the heroes of Pearl Harbor so you will find the names of the 15 recipients of the Medal of Honor, the 51 recipients of the Navy Cross, the 3 recipients of the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, and the 4 recipients of the Silver Star.

If you have a hero's story to share from Pearl Harbor, we hope you will post it.

The Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration given by Congress. It is given in recognition for extreme valor. From the attack on Pearl Harbor, 15 were chosen to receive this medal. You can read about these heroes and read their individual citations at the Naval History & Heritage website.

 

Recipients of the Medal of Honor from Pearl Harbor:

Mervyn Sharp Bennion

John William Finn   

Francis Charles Flaherty

Samuel Glenn Fuqua

Edwin Joseph Hill

Herbert Charpoit Jones

Isaac Campbell Kidd

Jackson Charles Pharris

Thomas James Reeves

Donald Kirby Ross

Robert Raymond Scott

Peter Tomich

Franklin Van Valkenburgh

James Richard Ward

Cassin Young

Recipient of the Medal of Honor from Sand Island, Midways, December 7, 1941:

George H. Cannon

The USS West Virginia with her flag flying (National Archives)

To learn more about this 16th Medal of Honor awarded on December 7, 1941 as well as the oldest Medal of Honor recipient from Pearl Harbor, check our blog on George Cannon and John William Finn.

The Navy Cross

At the end of World War I, the Navy Cross was the third highest decoration given by the Navy for acts of bravery in combat. In World War II, Congress elevated the Navy Cross to the second highest medal that can be awarded for bravery in combat. It ranks immediately beneath the Medal of Honor. It is the highest decoration the Navy awards and, though typically awarded to members of the Navy, the Coast Guard or the Marines, the Navy can award it to anyone serving in any branch of the US military (www.history.navy.mil).

Photo: www. history.navy.mil

Recipients of the Navy Cross from Pearl Harbor

Austin, John A., Chief Carpenter, USN, casualty of USS Oklahoma

Baker, Lionel H., Pharmacist’s Mate second class, USN

Bolser, Gordon E. Lt.(jg), USN

Bothne, Adoloph M., Boatswain, USN

Burford, William P., Lt. Comdr., USN

Christopher, Harald J., Ens., USNR, casualty of USS Nevada

Curtis, Ned B., Pharmacist’s Mate second class, USN

Daly, Edward Carlyle, Coxwain, USN, casualty of USS Downes

Darling, Willard D., Cpl., USMC

Davis, Frederick C., Ens., USNR, casualty of USS Nevada

Dickinson, Clarence E. Jr., Lt., USN

Douglas, C. E., Gunnery Sgt., USMC

Driskel, Joseph R., Corporal, USMC

Dunlap, Ernest H. Jr., Ens., USN

Edwards, John Perry, Ens., USNR

Etchell, George D., Shipfitter, USN

Fleming, W.D., Boatswain’s Mate first class, USN

Gombasy, L.G., Seaman second class, USN

Graham, Donald A., Aviation Machinist’s Mate first class, USN

Hailey, Thomas E., Sgt., USMC

Hansen, Alfred L., Chief Machinist’s Mate, USN

Huttenberg, Allen J., Ens., USNR

Isquith, Solomon S., Lt. Cmdr. USN

Jewel, Jesse D., Comdr.(MC), USN

Kauffman, Draper L., Lt., USNR

Larson, Nils R., Ens., USN

Ley, F. C. Jr., Fireman second class, USNR

McMurtry, Paul J., Boatswain’s Mate first class, USN

Mead, Harry R., Radioman second class, USN

Miller, Doris (Dorie), Mess Attendant first class, USN (ship's cook)

Miller, Jim D., Lt., USN

Moore, Fred K., Seaman first class, USN, casualty of USS Arizona

Outerbridge, William W., Lt. Comdr., USN

Parker, William W., Seaman first class, USN

Peterson, Robert J., Radioman second class, USN

Pharris, Jackson C., Gunner, USN (upgraded to Medal of Honor)

Phillips, John S., Comdr. USN

Riggs, Cecil D., Lt. Comdr. (MC), USN

Robb, James W. Jr., Lt.(jg), USN

Roberts, William R., Radioman second class, USN

Ruth, Wesley H., Ens., USN

Singleton, Arnold, Ens., USN

Smith, Harold F., Boatswain’s Mate second class, USN

Snyder, J. L., Yeoman first class USN

Taussig, Joseph K. Jr., Ens., USN

Taylor, Thomas H., Ens., USN

Teaff, Perry L, Ens., USN

Thatcher, Albert C., Aviation Machinists Mate second class, USN

Thomas, Francis J., Lt. Comdr., USN

Thomas, Robert E. Jr., Ens., USN

Vaseen, John B., Fireman second class, USNR

The Navy and Marine Corps Medal

The Navy and Marine Corps Medal is the second highest decoration awarded by the US Navy, immediately below the Navy Cross. It is awarded to members of the US Navy or Marine Corps who risk their lives in combat. The medal was created during World War II. Recipients include President Kennedy.

Recipients of the Navy and Marine Corps Medal from Pearl Harbor

Francis D. Day

Aloysius H. Schmitt

Paul R. Wright

The Silver Star

The Silver Star is the third highest military decoration. It is awarded by the US Army for distinguished courage in action against an enemy and may be awarded to anyone serving in the armed forces. 

Recipients of the Silver Star from Pearl Harbor

Edwin H. Kiefer

Theodore W. Marshall

George T. Owen

Alan Shapley

Let it fly!  

To find find out how to fly the flag and other flag etiquette, see USFlagstore's  Flag Etiquette 101 and USFlagstore's How to Fly the Flag at Half-Staff.
 

The Thanksgiving Day Parade!

The Energizer Bunny in Macy's 81st parade.

Nothing says Thanksgiving like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City!

One of the second oldest Thanksgiving Day parades in the country, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is an event generations of Americans have grown up with, either from watching it on TV or seeing it in person.

To celebrate Thanksgiving as well as this beloved cultural icon, we are including some images from the parade from recent years as well as going back to 1930. Maybe they will bring back some memories.

We also are including a list of other Thanksgiving Day parades from across the country and providing links for information on parade routes, times, floats and celebrity grand marshalls.

Have you seen any of these parades? If so, we invite your comments and memories. 

Here's a video of the floats getting inflated for the 85th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2009:

And here's ... 

The USFlagstore parade of Thanksgiving Day parades... 

The Man of Steel in the Macy's parade, c. 1940

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

New York, NY

Starting in 1924, it is one of the three oldest Thanksgiving parades in the country. It starts at 9 a.m., and finishes around noon.

http://www.nbc.com/Macys_Parade/

Detroit’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Detroit, MI

Known as America’s Thanksgiving Parade^®, this parade started in 1924, the same year as the Macy’s parade. It is one of the three oldest parades in the country. It begins at 9:05 a.m. and will be broadcast on WDIV, channel 4.

http://www.theparade.org/thanks.php

Miss Piggy, c. 2009 Philly Parade (Examiner)

Philadelphia’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Philadelphia, PA

The Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade is the oldest Thanksgiving parade in the country, starting in 1920 and followed by Macy’s in NY and America’s Parade in Detroit in 1924.

The parade broadcast on 6ABC begins at 8:30 a.m.

http://www.visitphilly.com/events/philadelphia/philadelphia-thanksgiving-day-parade/

  

McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Chicago, IL

The Chicago parade is big and beautiful and dates to 1933. This year the Grand Marshal is Holland Taylor, the Emmy-award winning actress from the TV show, "The Practice”.

It starts at 8 a.m. and will be rebroadcast at 1 p.m.

http://www.chicagofestivals.org/

Mr. Potato Head in the 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

Belk Carolina’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Charlotte, NC

The parade will be broadcast on WBTV at 1:00 P.M. The East Burke High School Marching Cavaliers is serving as the parade’s Honor Band.

http://www.carrouselparade.org/

Ameren Missouri Thanksgiving Day Parade

St. Louis, MO

The Ameren Missouri Thanksgiving Day Parade is in its 27^th year, making it one of the oldest in the country. This year the Harlem Gobetrotters are Honorary Grand Marshalls.

It begins at 8:45 a.m. and will be broadcast by KMOV-TV, channel 4

http://www.christmasinstlouis.org/parade/parade

A dragon from the 1931 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

The Holiday Parade

Houston, Texas

In its 62^nd year, the Houston parade can draw as many as 400,000 spectators. This year’s Grand Marshall is President of the Houston Dynamo, Chris Canetti.

It starts at 9 a.m. and is broadcast on KHOU-TV, the CBS affiliate.

http://www.holidayparadehouston.org/

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Let it fly!

To find find out how to fly the flag and other flag etiquette, see USFlagstore's  Flag Etiquette 101 

and USFlagstore's How to Fly the Flag at Half-Staff.

Coventry: Nov. 14, 1940

Veterans Day was just a few days ago, a day to remember and pay our respects to the men and women of our military. Today, November 14, 2011 is the 71st anniversary of the bombing of Coventry, England during WWII. Today also is a day to remember our veterans as well as the civilians who also bear the brunt of war.

Coventry Cathedral after the November, 1940 blitz

 

These are the facts...

The bombing of Coventry was remarkable for its destruction as well as the sheer scope of the event in simple and practical terms: the hours the bombing continued, the tonnage of explosives dropped, the rubble that the city was reduced to and, of course, the lives that were lost or destroyed as a result of the bombing. 

With these pictures and the chronology of the bombing of Coventry, USflastore.com pays its respects:

At 1 p.m. on Nov. 14, 1941, a German radio beam was detected. No one knew where the beam was headed or precisely what it meant.

At 3 p.m., the Royal Air Force is notified that the German radio beam seems to be headed for Coventry. Coventry receives its first message at 6:50 p.m. At 7:07, the raid alert for approaching enemy is given. At 7:10 p.m., the signal for "Raiders approaching your area" is given. At 7:10, the first sirens begin and the first bombs start to fall.

The bombs fell all night, apparently reaching their fullest at 11:45 p.m. It was not until 6:16 a.m. on the morning of November 15 that the all clear signal was given.

Coventry days after the blitz. (Photo: Getty Images)

Records confirm that 522 German bombers took off from France. Some flew a diversionary mission to London. Some 881 canisters of explosives were dropped on Coventry. These canisters contained 30,000 incendiary devices. Approximately 503 tons of explosives were dropped on Coventry.

The number of dead is far less than the casualties from the London blitz; however, Coventry had a much smaller population. It is estimated that if you were in Coventry, your chances of dying from the bombing were 60% greater than anywhere else in England at any other time during the war.

According to www.historiccoventry.co.uk, the actual casualties from the Coventry bombing are as follows: 568 were confirmed killed. 863 seriously wounded.  393 injured.

But!  

"Although higher total casualties had been seen in London, the relatively smaller population in Coventry meant that each person had actually stood a 60% higher risk of being killed in Coventry that night, than the average anywhere else in the UK during the war." (www.historiccoventry.co.uk)

A WWII RAF pilot with his plane (Photo: Allposters)

Coventry had 79 public air raid shelters. These shelters could accommodate 33,000 people. Of these shelters, nearly half were damaged. Eleven of the 33 damaged shelters were beyond repair. There were 3,000 homeless people that were now homeless after this raid.

These numbers are just one way of looking at the heartbreak of war and the courage of the human spirit to survive.

The video below is part of a BBC series on the bombing of Coventry.

sources:

www.historiccventry.co.uk

BBC Timewatch

Let it fly!

To find find out how to fly the flag and other flag etiquette, see USFlagstore's  Flag Etiquette 101 and USFlagstore's How to Fly the Flag at Half-Staff.

Veteran's Day: 11.11.2011

A US Marine holding a folded memorial or interment flag.

From President Obama's proclamation recognizing November 11, Veteran's Day, as an annual federal holiday...

 

On Veterans Day, we come together to pay tribute to the men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces. Americans across this land commemorate the patriots who have risked their lives to preserve the liberty of our Nation, the families who support them, and the heroes no longer with us. It is not our weapons or our technology that make us the most advanced military in the world; it is the unparalleled spirit, skill, and devotion of our troops. As we honor our veterans with ceremonies on this day, let our actions strengthen the bond between a Nation and her warriors.

America’s sons and daughters have not watched over her shores or her citizens for public recogni­tion, fanfare, or parades. They have preserved our way of life with unwavering patriotism and quiet courage, and ours is a debt of honor to care for them and their families. These obligations do not end after their time of service, and we must fulfill our sacred trust to care for our veterans after they retire their uniforms.

As a grateful Nation, we are humbled by the sacrifices rendered by our service members and their families out of the deepest sense of service and love of country. On Veterans Day, let us remember our solemn obligations to our veterans, and recommit to upholding the enduring principles that our country lives for, and that our fellow citizens have fought and died for.

From Armistice Day to Veterans Day...

At 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918 a cease fire is declared. This is the first step to end World War I, the Great War, the war everyone thought was so awful that surely it would be the last war. 

Every year after that first Armistice Day in 1918, the holiday was celebrated all over the world with parades to honor the war dead as well as to celebrate a world at peace. 

It is from that first celebration that the current Veteran's Day has its roots, a holiday that has come to honor all veterans, both survivors as well as the war dead, from the Great War and beyond. This and Memorial Day our two holidays when it is customary for families to place stick flags on their veterans' graves.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with Honor Guard

On November 11, 1921, Congress passes new legislation to create the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a memorial to stand in Arlington National Cemetery in honor of our soldiers who died unknown in combat. 

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is presided over by a special honor guard 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. While customs vary from country to country, most nations do have their own memorial to the Unknown Soldier. To read about the history of the guard and their particular customs, visit their link here.

In 1926, the United States government passes legislation making November 11 a federal holiday. Part of the legislation for Armistice Day requires that the president read the proclamation anew each year. This tradition still continues.

In 1954, new legislation is passed giving Armsitice Day a new name and a new emphasis. The legislation, signed by President Eisenhower, turns Armistice Day into Veteran's Day. Still a federal holiday and still requiring the president to declare it anew each year, Veteran's Day is meant to remember all the soldiers from all of the wars, including those who died as well as those who fought most recently in World War II and in the Korean War.

Eisenhower signing Veteran's Day legislation, 1954

From President Eisenhower's Veteran's Day Proclamation...

 In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible.

In 1978, Veteran's Day, which had been celebrated in October in some states and in November in other states (confusion arising from the new Monday holiday law from the 1970's), is formally returned to November 11. 

The Department of Veteran's Affairs has made this video explaining Veteran's Day:

 

The art of Veteran's Day ....

The 2011 official Veteran's Day poster:

The 2010 poster is a history of the United States as seen through the battlefields, from Lexington to Basra.

The 1995 poster memorialized the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. The hands of an old soldier, once a young hero, are a poignant nod to the history or war and peace:

Let if fly! 
To find find out how to fly the flag and other flag etiquette, see USFlagstore's  Flag Etiquette 101 and USFlagstore's How to Fly the Flag at Half-Staff.

Armistice Day: What Peace Looks Like

A world at war...

The history of Veteran's Day begins with Armistice Day. 

 On November 11, 1918 at 11 a.m.,  a cease fire was declared between the warring nations of War I. The war largely consisted of Germany and Austria on one side with Russia, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom (including England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) on the other. The Great War, the war to end all wars, did not officially end, however, until Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles on May 7, 1919.

On Nov. 11, 1919, President Wilson declared Armistice Day an official holiday to remember, with a two minute cessation of business each year at 11 a.m. on November 11, those who died in the Great War. The day originally was conceived to include parades and other civic events.

To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.

                        ~ President Woodrow Wilson's Armsitice Day speech

While the root of this war began, in one way, with a single terrorist act, the assassination of Archduke Franze Ferdinand in June, 1914, it quickly mushroomed out of the complex alliances – some political, some cultural, some traditional – that formed in response to his death. Two good sources detailing the alliances between nations during this war and the details of the Treaty of Versailles (often cited as the root of World War II) are:

• http://www.firstworldwar.com/origins/causes.htm

• http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005425

What peace looks like...

To understand how this war impacted this generation, all one has to do is look at these photos of the world celebrating the end of World War I. This is what peace looks like:

In London at the Stock Exchange:

Two minutes of silence – with thousands of people – also in London:

In New South Wales, Australia:

In New York on Wall Street:

In Chicago on Michigan Avenue:

In Detroit (Photo by The Detroit News):

In Iowa (Photo by the Iowa Alumnus):

And finally ...

American troops in France knowing they are coming home (Photo by AP):

 

Let it fly!

The USFlagstore.com remembers Armistice Day with this look at what peace looks like from 1918. To find find out how to fly the flag and other flag etiquette, see USFlagstore's  Flag Etiquette 101 and USFlagstore's How to Fly the Flag at Half-Staff.